Overview

Version A(#1533)

Technical Details

I acquired my Gear4Rocks, Version A ascender new from the Gear4Rocks eBay store in 2010. Gear4Rocks is the same company as Krok, the only difference is that the Krok trademark sells gear only inside the Ukraine, and the Gear4Rocks trademark was created to spread Ukrainian gear around the world.

The shell is a tall irregular shaped stamping made from 3.5 mm. aluminum alloy sheet metal. The stamping has shallow reinforcing stamped into the front strap, the upper portion of the back strap, and the area behind the cam. A rope channel is formed in the
upper portion of one side and a smaller cam channel lies opposite
the first. The rope channel is 17 mm. wide. A hole drilled through both sides of the cam channel
accepts a 5.5 mm. rivet. The cam and cam spring are mounted
on this rivet.
The handle below the cam has a soft "rubbery" hand grip molded into place. The hand grip has four shallow finger
grooves. A 15 mm. sling attachment hole is punched below
the handle opening, and a 10 mm. hole is punched below and
outside the first. A 13.8 by 18.7 mm. pear-shaped hole through both
sides of the rope channel provides an attachment point just above
the cam. Version A has a stamped cam stop that does not contact the cam.

The cam is a plated skeletonized steel casting. The cam has
number of small conical teeth, all of which have their axes sloping downward. The cam radius increases from 36 to 58 mm. over an angle of 41°, giving a 34° cam angle. The tooth pattern is (3.2)(2.2.H)^3(2.2.3.2) where "H" indicates a mud relief hole. A spring-loaded manual safety
bar is attached to the side of the cam. There are two pins riveted to the safety. The first, 8 mm. high by 7.3 mm. diameter steel, stops the cam from closing fully against the rope channel (functional on the right-hand ascender only). The second, 11.2 mm. high by 9.7 mm. diameter aluminum, acts as a thumb post. The normal action of
the spring holds the safety against the cam. When the cam is opened,
the shell interferes with the safety bar, thus preventing opening
the cam. If the safety bar is moved away from the cam (opposing
the spring), it will clear the shell and the cam will open. At
full open the safety can be released and the spring will hold
the safety against the back of the shell. This provides a means
of locking the cam open. A pin on the safety assists in operating
the safety mechanism.

There are no markings on these ascenders.

Comments

The attachment points are simply sharp-edged holes in the shell. Even if they had been rounded,
I would consider their small radius too sharp for directly attaching
sling ropes. I would recommend using a small maillon
for most attachments in order to reduce the risk of sling abrasion.
The lower attachment hole could theoretically have the same safety
problems as the one on Clog Version A.
The upper rope attachment hole is located very close to the main
rope. A carabiner through the upper attachment hole will probably
drag on the main line. Note that such a carabiner will prevent
putting the ascender on or off rope, so one's climbing system
must be designed accordingly.

The safety is reasonably easy to use with one hand, but the
cam drags on the shell, and since both have a rough
finish, it gives the ascender a gritty feel. This is not a significant
issue.

The
handle roomy,but the the hand grip is too square for my taste. A file
can eliminate this objection.

The cam is poorly made:
the teeth are blunt, there are defects in the casting, and the finish is rough.

This ascender has the same pit lip disadvantage as the Clog and other stamped frame ascenders.
The shell is thicker that the one on the Camp
Pilot, Kong-Bonaiti, and Petzl
Ascension but it isn't reinforced as it is on those.

I'm not sure the extra holes are needed at the base - except
for the Petzl Pompe, I've never found
a real need for a second hole, but some people like them. At least this one is large enough to be useful.

Technical Details

The front of the rope channel on each ascender is stamped with the Krok logo and a book-with-an-"i" icon. The rear is stamped with "02 11" indicating the manufacturing date.

Comments

The cam safety on my Version C will not hold the cam open in the hold-open position. The main cam spring is strong enough to pull the cam closed. I'm not sure why, but it appears that loose manufacturing tolerances conspired to defeat the intended design feature.

Cam stops help ascenders in laboratory strength tests, but unless you are incredibly obese or subject your ascenders to abuse that they should never receive (e.g., dropping multi-person rescue loads), a cam stop is of little consequence to the caver underground.

Technical Details

Version E is similar to Version B, but the handgrip has a finger groove for the index finger only.

The front of the rope channel on each ascender is screened with "0112 No001," the Krok logo, and a book-with-an-"i" icon. They are also stamped with the Krok logo, a book-with-an-"i" icon, and "10 11" indicating the manufacturing date.

Comments

Reducing the number of finger grooves lets the ascender fit more comfortably in different size hands.